Kissing Brendan Callahan by Susan Amesse

can’t start another play. I have to finish this one. Without looking at the other plays, I put them all back into the folder. I will finish. Please, God.
    I turn on my laptop and slide into my window seat. I work on Scene Four. In this scene, Suzanne goes off to meet her love, Richard. He tells her that he has enlisted to fight against the Confederacy. Tomorrow morning, he will leave for training camp. Suzanne begs him not to go. Richard takes her into his arms and kisses her. It is their first kiss. It is wonderful. Richard asks her to marry him before he leaves. Suzanne agrees, even though her mother has forbidden it. Her mother thinks Richard is a silly and irresponsible person.
    Suzanne hears footsteps behind her and she worries. Could it be the beautiful and graceful Gabriella spying on her? Will Gabriella tell her mother what Suzanne is about to do and ruin everything?

TWELVE
    I want to wear something special for my first meeting with Antonia. Something that screams out I’m a writer, a talented and passionate writer. I settle for a long blue skirt, which flows when I move. To go with it, I choose a purple T-shirt—the color gradually changes hue as it descends to the bottom. Lynn thinks this shirt is totally cool. I hope Antonia does, too.
    My hair is a mess. The humidity has made it frizz. I try combing it, but it doesn’t look any better.
    I practice my cool look. I invented this look last night. I tilt my head to the side and give a small, uneven smile as I look at the person I’m trying to impress from the corner of my eye. It suggests that I’m giving them my attention, but not all of it, because I have other things going on in my head. I hope it works.
    At the last moment, I decide to wear the Suzanne hat.
    I head to Granneli’s Supermarket. The cool air inside Granneli’s invigorates me. I rush around the store until I find cat food in aisle four. I never realized there were so many kinds of cat food. Fortunately, they carry Fancy Feast, but it takes me a while to locate salmon. I grab the only two undented cans on the shelf and run to the express checkout line, hoping Antonia will be satisfied with only two cans. The line moves slowly. I focus on the checkout girl, willing her to move faster. Finally, I pay for the two cans of cat food, which are unbelievably expensive, and head out into the hot afternoon.
    I arrive at Barrett Books at 12:05. There is a display of Antonia’s books on the center table. Quite a crowd is milling around. I don’t see Antonia. Mr. Barrett, who is all decked out in a beige suit and a pale peach tie, leans against the front counter, staring nervously at the door. I walk over to him.
    â€œHi. Where’s Antonia DeMarco?”
    â€œThat’s what I’d like to know,” he says in a snippy voice. “She’s late and I have twenty customers lined up waiting for her to autograph their books.” He turns to the girl at the register. “Did you call her, Marge?”
    â€œYes,” she says, nodding. “There was no answer.”
    Mr. Barrett flutters about, greeting customers. “Just a little delay,” he says. “Ms. DeMarco will be here momentarily.”
    I meander over to the fiction section and pretend to be looking at books, but I study the customers waiting. Anne Marie Valgetti is second in line, wearing a miniskirt that exposes her long, bony legs. She waves to me, her red hair springing all over the place. “Isn’t this exciting,” she says. “Imagine, Antonia DeMarco judging our little local contest. I entered.”
    â€œYes, I know,” I say. “I’m Antonia DeMarco’s personal assistant for the contest.”
    â€œReally?” Anne Marie looks surprised. “I didn’t know.”
    I practice my cool look on Anne Marie. I tilt my head and give her the small, uneven smile. “Her personal assistant. It’s a very important job.”
    Her eyes narrow